Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Jack Jones
Unite Statement on Jack Jones
It is with the greatest sadness that I must advise you that Jack Jones, former general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, died late yesterday.
We have lost the greatest trade unionist of the entire post-war era, a man whose name will be forever associated with the finest achievements and highest values of our movement. Indeed, the entire history of trade unionism in Britain yields few comparable figures.
Our first condolences are of course extended to Jack’s family, above all his sons Jack and Michael. We share their sorrow and also their pride in the life of their remarkable father.
Jack Jones led the T&G to become the strongest working-class organisation our country has ever seen, more than two million men and women united to secure a better life both at work and in the wider society.
When he was our general secretary, no great question of industrial policy or economic management could be addressed without the T&G’s input. Nor did the smallest detail of union organisation or industrial negotiation in any of the industries in which our union represented working people escape his attention.
In all this work he was guided by a profound concern to improve the lot of the ordinary people of this country whose only strength, he understood, lay in collective organisation. From his earliest days as a T&G organiser in Coventry, he placed the organisation of the union in the factories at the heart of his work, developing and promoting the shop stewards movement.
Jack’s greatness as a leader rested above all on his belief in the instincts and outlook of the membership. He was always a partisan of lay democracy, of the union being run by the men and women who joined it, and with authority being devolved to the districts and the workplaces. Building on the achievements of Frank Cousins, he entrenched progressive values and democratic tolerance at the heart of the T&G.
At the same time he led from the front, animating the whole of our union with his broad conception of the role of trade unionism. While a master of industrial detail, he never lost sight of the wider socialist perspective which had motivated him from his earliest days working on the Liverpool docks. This informed his commitment to full equality for working women, his opposition to all forms of racism and injustice, and his unflinching support for workers fighting oppression in all lands.
He was loyal to the Labour Party, knowing that only a Labour government could both protect working people from the worst ravages of capitalism and also work towards that brighter future. He always fought his corner within the Party and always urged it, sometimes most vocally, to remain true to its roots.
Jack will also be forever linked with the struggle for democracy and against fascism. As a young man he put his life on the line to go to Spain to fight in support of the elected government of the Republic against the fascist insurrection, and was wounded in that struggle. The people of Spain and all internationalists across the world have lost a comrade.
Older workers in Britain also have cause to give particular thanks for Jack’s campaigning zeal, since he devoted most of his post-retirement years to championing the case for justice for pensioners and in particular to see the state pension secured at a decent level. Not for Jack a life of cosy retirement. Every breath he gave to the struggle.
Jack strongly supported the formation of Unite, the merger of the T&G and Amicus, as being the best way to carry forward in new circumstances the values of the union he had built. Disappointed, of course, at the setbacks of the last generation, he never lost his optimism and was delighted to see our union recover its organising and fighting back spirit.
For thousands of us still active in the movement, Jack was a friend and a mentor, always ready to offer wise counsel when it was sought, right down to the last months of his life. Always sharp in his understanding of our problems, modest in his lifestyle, uninterested in any honour beyond serving the movement, he embodied everything a trade unionist should be.
Dockers and car workers, bus drivers and engineering workers, white-collar employees and farmworkers, those driving a lorry or working in an aircraft cabin – we are all today bereft. For millions of working people, the comforts we enjoy, such security as we have established and the social gains we have secured, all of these stand on the shoulders of the organisation that Jack Jones developed and of the leadership he gave. As he took forward the work of Bevin and Cousins, so shall we carry forward the legacy of Jack Jones into the future, the unbroken tradition of working-class solidarity and struggle.
Today, with profound emotion, Unite dips its banner in memory of the greatest amongst us. Tomorrow, as Jack Jones would have wished, we shall put our shoulders to the wheel once more, working as he did for justice for workers, for internationalism, peace and socialism.
Tony Woodley
Joint General Secretary, Unite
General Secretary – T&G section
It is with the greatest sadness that I must advise you that Jack Jones, former general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, died late yesterday.
We have lost the greatest trade unionist of the entire post-war era, a man whose name will be forever associated with the finest achievements and highest values of our movement. Indeed, the entire history of trade unionism in Britain yields few comparable figures.
Our first condolences are of course extended to Jack’s family, above all his sons Jack and Michael. We share their sorrow and also their pride in the life of their remarkable father.
Jack Jones led the T&G to become the strongest working-class organisation our country has ever seen, more than two million men and women united to secure a better life both at work and in the wider society.
When he was our general secretary, no great question of industrial policy or economic management could be addressed without the T&G’s input. Nor did the smallest detail of union organisation or industrial negotiation in any of the industries in which our union represented working people escape his attention.
In all this work he was guided by a profound concern to improve the lot of the ordinary people of this country whose only strength, he understood, lay in collective organisation. From his earliest days as a T&G organiser in Coventry, he placed the organisation of the union in the factories at the heart of his work, developing and promoting the shop stewards movement.
Jack’s greatness as a leader rested above all on his belief in the instincts and outlook of the membership. He was always a partisan of lay democracy, of the union being run by the men and women who joined it, and with authority being devolved to the districts and the workplaces. Building on the achievements of Frank Cousins, he entrenched progressive values and democratic tolerance at the heart of the T&G.
At the same time he led from the front, animating the whole of our union with his broad conception of the role of trade unionism. While a master of industrial detail, he never lost sight of the wider socialist perspective which had motivated him from his earliest days working on the Liverpool docks. This informed his commitment to full equality for working women, his opposition to all forms of racism and injustice, and his unflinching support for workers fighting oppression in all lands.
He was loyal to the Labour Party, knowing that only a Labour government could both protect working people from the worst ravages of capitalism and also work towards that brighter future. He always fought his corner within the Party and always urged it, sometimes most vocally, to remain true to its roots.
Jack will also be forever linked with the struggle for democracy and against fascism. As a young man he put his life on the line to go to Spain to fight in support of the elected government of the Republic against the fascist insurrection, and was wounded in that struggle. The people of Spain and all internationalists across the world have lost a comrade.
Older workers in Britain also have cause to give particular thanks for Jack’s campaigning zeal, since he devoted most of his post-retirement years to championing the case for justice for pensioners and in particular to see the state pension secured at a decent level. Not for Jack a life of cosy retirement. Every breath he gave to the struggle.
Jack strongly supported the formation of Unite, the merger of the T&G and Amicus, as being the best way to carry forward in new circumstances the values of the union he had built. Disappointed, of course, at the setbacks of the last generation, he never lost his optimism and was delighted to see our union recover its organising and fighting back spirit.
For thousands of us still active in the movement, Jack was a friend and a mentor, always ready to offer wise counsel when it was sought, right down to the last months of his life. Always sharp in his understanding of our problems, modest in his lifestyle, uninterested in any honour beyond serving the movement, he embodied everything a trade unionist should be.
Dockers and car workers, bus drivers and engineering workers, white-collar employees and farmworkers, those driving a lorry or working in an aircraft cabin – we are all today bereft. For millions of working people, the comforts we enjoy, such security as we have established and the social gains we have secured, all of these stand on the shoulders of the organisation that Jack Jones developed and of the leadership he gave. As he took forward the work of Bevin and Cousins, so shall we carry forward the legacy of Jack Jones into the future, the unbroken tradition of working-class solidarity and struggle.
Today, with profound emotion, Unite dips its banner in memory of the greatest amongst us. Tomorrow, as Jack Jones would have wished, we shall put our shoulders to the wheel once more, working as he did for justice for workers, for internationalism, peace and socialism.
Tony Woodley
Joint General Secretary, Unite
General Secretary – T&G section
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Day light comes and I wanna get off!
Extracts from the joint statement which should have been briefed to the workforce
On 30th March, the joint trades unions and company NNC met to continue discussions.
In January 2009, HDNL announced the launch of 4 change programmes, which would focus the business on developing new markets and services, improving the customer experience and driving efficiencies in the operation to reduce costs.
These changes are vital to enable HDNL to reinvest in price, curb the loss making position and start to secure a future for the business and its employees.
Despite the financial climate the shareholders have confidence in the long term future of HDNL and have invested a significant amount of funds to ensure these changes can be achieved.
Further funding will be made available to secure the business in the longer term, provided an operating model can be put in place which will meet the requirements of a very competitive market place.
Since January, a number of working groups were set up to work through the proposed changes and there has been good progress so far. 6 depots were closed in February 2009 and more jobs than anticipated were saved through redeployment. The Company made available outplacement support to help redundant employees find new employment.
HDNL has also successfully implemented new services to enable the Company to compete for new business.
These include Depot Sales (local small volume deliveries), Drop & Collect in conjunction with PayPoint and Mid Range services, which commenced with the Falcon Cycles contract.
The business is piloting an improved carding process, SMS and Timed Services over the next few weeks.
HDNL has also commenced an International service in partnership with TNT and has started trading with Play.com.
Depot Operating Model
As part of the change programme, a new operating model has been designed and proposed to the Trade Unions.
Some elements of the DOM are already in progress including:
- Timed services – going live from 15th April
- New carding process – going live from 20th April
- SMS – going live from 20th April
- Knuckle scanners – Trial commences 1st April with proposed roll out from mid April.
- HHT integration with PAVI (automation of data transfer from Track and Trace to PAVI) – going live from 27th April.
- Drop & Collect – Roll out complete in Regions 1,2,3 & 4. Regions 5 & 6 commence from 14th April
- Late Seal – still in discussion to move working hours by up to 1hour later (up to 2hrs for Leeds nd Glenrothes). Proposed go live 8th June.
- Route Scheduling/Sat Nav – testing and development continues on the systems.
In addition, an OWG has been working on the following elements:
o Rostered 4 day working week for 1 man drivers
o 12 contracted Saturdays and voluntary Sundays
o New Drivers pay scheme for 1 man drivers to ensure correct pay for new way of working
The OWG put forward their recommendations for these elements to the NNC, which were presented at the meeting.
After going through the detail, the NNC are in a position to recommend the proposals as the best that can be achieved through negotiation, and will be putting the proposals forward to members for a ballot.
Briefings and Ballot
From 9th April 2009, all 1man drivers will be fully briefed on the proposals for the above changes.
This is the opportunity for drivers to hear about the changes and have time to understand what this means to them and for the business. The drivers will then be asked to ballot to accept the new proposals as recommended jointly by the Trade Unions as the best that can be achieved through negotiation and will have the opportunity to do so from 9th April – 20th April 2009.
The next NNC will be held on 21st April 2009 where the results of the ballot will
be communicated and discussed.
_________________________________________
The proposals affect the drivers in one man in the main, however it was pointed out that other parts of the workforce will be affected by the changes in respect of the designated Saturdays. As we know that the old Ex Reality still have Compulsories for the FLM/Sort and depot operatives whilst Ex Biz X have none.
We have asked that the OWG's for the respective workgroups meet after the ballot to discuss how this affect them.
_________________________________________
All the driver stewards meet with the OWG on the 1st April and they went through the presentation and questions were raised on how the scheme will work.
__________________________________________
The new SMS service also starts later this month and by now almost everyone has gone through the training/briefing. See http://bit.ly/jLJRl for more information.
On 30th March, the joint trades unions and company NNC met to continue discussions.
In January 2009, HDNL announced the launch of 4 change programmes, which would focus the business on developing new markets and services, improving the customer experience and driving efficiencies in the operation to reduce costs.
These changes are vital to enable HDNL to reinvest in price, curb the loss making position and start to secure a future for the business and its employees.
Despite the financial climate the shareholders have confidence in the long term future of HDNL and have invested a significant amount of funds to ensure these changes can be achieved.
Further funding will be made available to secure the business in the longer term, provided an operating model can be put in place which will meet the requirements of a very competitive market place.
Since January, a number of working groups were set up to work through the proposed changes and there has been good progress so far. 6 depots were closed in February 2009 and more jobs than anticipated were saved through redeployment. The Company made available outplacement support to help redundant employees find new employment.
HDNL has also successfully implemented new services to enable the Company to compete for new business.
These include Depot Sales (local small volume deliveries), Drop & Collect in conjunction with PayPoint and Mid Range services, which commenced with the Falcon Cycles contract.
The business is piloting an improved carding process, SMS and Timed Services over the next few weeks.
HDNL has also commenced an International service in partnership with TNT and has started trading with Play.com.
Depot Operating Model
As part of the change programme, a new operating model has been designed and proposed to the Trade Unions.
Some elements of the DOM are already in progress including:
- Timed services – going live from 15th April
- New carding process – going live from 20th April
- SMS – going live from 20th April
- Knuckle scanners – Trial commences 1st April with proposed roll out from mid April.
- HHT integration with PAVI (automation of data transfer from Track and Trace to PAVI) – going live from 27th April.
- Drop & Collect – Roll out complete in Regions 1,2,3 & 4. Regions 5 & 6 commence from 14th April
- Late Seal – still in discussion to move working hours by up to 1hour later (up to 2hrs for Leeds nd Glenrothes). Proposed go live 8th June.
- Route Scheduling/Sat Nav – testing and development continues on the systems.
In addition, an OWG has been working on the following elements:
o Rostered 4 day working week for 1 man drivers
o 12 contracted Saturdays and voluntary Sundays
o New Drivers pay scheme for 1 man drivers to ensure correct pay for new way of working
The OWG put forward their recommendations for these elements to the NNC, which were presented at the meeting.
After going through the detail, the NNC are in a position to recommend the proposals as the best that can be achieved through negotiation, and will be putting the proposals forward to members for a ballot.
Briefings and Ballot
From 9th April 2009, all 1man drivers will be fully briefed on the proposals for the above changes.
This is the opportunity for drivers to hear about the changes and have time to understand what this means to them and for the business. The drivers will then be asked to ballot to accept the new proposals as recommended jointly by the Trade Unions as the best that can be achieved through negotiation and will have the opportunity to do so from 9th April – 20th April 2009.
The next NNC will be held on 21st April 2009 where the results of the ballot will
be communicated and discussed.
_________________________________________
The proposals affect the drivers in one man in the main, however it was pointed out that other parts of the workforce will be affected by the changes in respect of the designated Saturdays. As we know that the old Ex Reality still have Compulsories for the FLM/Sort and depot operatives whilst Ex Biz X have none.
We have asked that the OWG's for the respective workgroups meet after the ballot to discuss how this affect them.
_________________________________________
All the driver stewards meet with the OWG on the 1st April and they went through the presentation and questions were raised on how the scheme will work.
__________________________________________
The new SMS service also starts later this month and by now almost everyone has gone through the training/briefing. See http://bit.ly/jLJRl for more information.
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